Who is my assigned facutly mentor?
The SURF Program is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institutes and therefore many of the mentors perform research in these areas of interest.  Once accepted into the program, students are asked to provide a list of their top three mentors from the participating mentor list.  Students are matched with a mentor based on experience.  The preferences of all students are taken into account during the selection process.

What are the program goals?
To introduce disadvantaged and/or underrepresented students to the career of academic medicine through hands-on laboratory and clinical experiences with university clinicians, researchers, and current M.D./Ph.D. trainees; Provide group activities in concert with the integrated UCSD SURF Programs, including orientation to research and research ethics; Provide MSTP-SURF specific activities, including dinner with MSTP students, and lectures on various topics of relevance to Physician-Scientists.

Can I take a summer class while participating in SURF?
While participating in the SURF Program, students are not permitted to take a summer class, whether at UCSD or an outside institution.

What type of housing is available?
On campus apartment style housing is available for our students.  Apartments vary in size, and commonly house two students per apartment.

Do I need to live on campus if I live locally?
SURF students are strongly encouraged to live on campus for the entire duration of the program.  Living on campus enhances the SURF experience and is convenient for attedning SURF events.

How are travel arrangements made?
UCSD books all travel arrangements for SURF students.  A $500 travel allowance is provided for the initial trip to and final trip from the UCSD campus.

Does SURF pay for parking?
The SURF Program does not reimburse students for parking.

Is transportation offered to/from my lab?
Students can walk or take the free campus shuttle to labs located on campus or at the VA Hospital.  Public transportation to labs located just outside the UCSD campus is available free of charge with a UCSD student ID.

Please contact the UCSD SURF Program, mstp@ucsd.edu, with any additional questions.